Darlings (9 page)

“Gwenny’s a superhero! Wow!” Mike said eyes
wide. 

“Sort of, but we’ll get into all of that
later. For now, we need to eat.” Pete handed a glossy white plate
to Gwen, who reluctantly held up a hand. 

“I’m really not hungry.” Her stomach still in
knots over the incident in the gym, she decided it was best to wait
to fill it up again. 

“Well I am!” Mike exclaimed, mouth full.
Everyone smiled. So innocent, Gwen thought. Mike shouldn’t have to
endure all of this. 

“Honestly, I need air,” she said, peeking out
the window. 

“Come on.” Pete answered, nodding toward the
back of the house. Tina huffed as Gwen followed him through an
amazing living area adorned with stark white couches and expensive
looking luxury chairs. The giant fireplace flickered and crackled
as they passed. The area smelled sweet and familiar she
thought…s’mores and…campfire. 

She trailed behind Pete, passing closed
doors. Private people. The bright hallway came to an end with two
massive French doors. Gwen wondered what could be in there. They
turned right and finally made their way to an all seasons room. No,
all seasons wonderland. This was the only part of the house that
actually looked lived in. It was huge and encased completely in
glass. Even the ceiling was glass. A real live snow globe. Plush
furniture sat in ideal view of the picture perfect view. Woods
stretched out as far as the eye could see. The sun danced over the
glittering orange and yellow of the trees every once in a while
finding that sweet spot of green still going strong, refusing to
give into the fall. 

She followed Pete out a set of doors onto a
large stone deck. It was filled with…nothing. It made no sense
compared to the rest of the house. So bare. Empty flower pots were
scattered everywhere. Odd. Gwen was exhausted, though it was only
two in the afternoon. Pete sat on a stone step and Gwen found a
comfortable spot in the only lawn chair out there. Awkward silence
filled the space between them. Gwen pulled her knees up to her
chest.

“Well this really isn’t how I had imagined
getting you into my home.” Gwen smiled meekly. Pete’s attempted at
humor was an epic fail. Realizing this he changed his
tone. 

“Look Gwen, I know this is…crazy to you right
now. In all honesty it’s crazy to me too.” He clenched his jaw in
frustration. 

“Why would any of this be crazy to you?
You’ve known about all of this…who you are, your whole life. I’m
the one who was left in the dark. Lead to believe I was normal.
Blatantly lied to. Deceived by everyone I love.” Gwen quieted and
fiddled with her auburn tresses, choking back tears for the
umpteenth time. 

Pete straightened and peered into her eyes.
“I’d have traded you Gwen. I’d still trade you lives in a
heartbeat. I left my family, my friends, my people. Everyone I ever
knew was gone from me in an instant, and why? To protect them. I
had to leave and live in this foreign world when I was just
eighteen. I lived like a ghost…I still live like a ghost…” He
looked off into the woods, as if looking for something to ease his
pain. He shook his head a bit. “I mean I know I’m pasty in
comparison to my friends there,” he joked, motioning to the
house. 

“No. Don’t joke,” Gwen stopped him. She had
been so self-consumed she never even thought about how he might
feel, or anyone else for that matter, which was not like her. She
was caring to a fault. “It must be hard for you living like
this.”

 “Well I don’t know, house is a little
small,” he teased again eyes sparkling. 

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Seriously.” She walked
over to the step and sat down beside Pete. “Tell me about it.” He
looked as if he were about to object. She cut him off. “If for no
other reason than to take my mind off of all of this…please tell
me.” 

Looking at his twiddling hands he asked,
“Well what do you want to know?” 

“Um…for one how old are you
exactly?” 

“Well…I came here when I was eighteen. I’ve
been here for one hundred and twenty years so far. So essentially I
am…one hundred and thirty eight.” Gwen’s eyes widened. “Now don’t
tell me I’m too old for you.” He nervously teased, peering at her
through the corner of his brilliant eye. Gwen’s stomach
fluttered. 

“Wow…I can’t even imagine all you’ve seen.
You’re like a piece of history yourself.” 

Pete seemed deep into thought now. “You don’t
want to see all I’ve seen.” He twiddled with his thumb. “Though now
it’s inevitable…” 

“What do you mean?” 

Pete ran his hands through his messy hair,
and then rubbed his thighs. Clenching his teeth he said, “Gwen, I
was watching you all of this time. Initially, I agreed with the
council of Everland when they sent message to me that we were to
bond you. It’s the only way to save our world. I intended on being
there when it happened. I had planned on introducing myself into
your life this year when you began college. Getting to know you in
hopes to convince you that joining me was the right thing to
do.” 

He stopped and sighed. “But that’s the
problem. I got to know you. Without your knowledge, I felt like you
knew me too. I shared in your life.” Gwen squinted in frustration.
“You know you’re wealthy Uncle Tate, the one who loves to travel
and whose job as an environmental researcher has kept him from ever
meeting you? The one who gave you this ring on your fourth
birthday?” Gwen now wore the tiny emerald ring on a gold chain
around her neck.

“Did he know too?” Gwen eagerly
asked. 

Pete’s conscience was tugging at his soul to
go forward with his confession. How could he reveal yet another
lie? He gave in and continued. “Gwen, I am Uncle Tate.” He looked a
little embarrassed. “I gave you this ring. Didn’t you ever wonder
why you never had nightmares?” It was true. Gwen loved to sleep.
She loved to dream. She had the most magnificent dreams. She
remembered her brothers complaining of bad dreams and could never
relate. Gwen had never had a single bad dream in her life that she
could remember.

“You? Gave me this?” Gwen questioned, as if
suddenly remembering the emerald stoned ring she’d worn ever since
she was a child. Her favorite piece of jewelry.

“Guilty. You had such terrible dreams as a
toddler. I couldn’t bear to watch you wake up screaming and
terrified. I had Tina enchant the stone to keep the night terrors
away. I felt as if you were, well are my responsibility to keep
safe from all of this.” 

She didn’t know how to take this. His
responsibility. Was that what she was to him? 

“And all of the other lavish gifts? The
designer clothes, purses, exotic jewelry, exquisite trinkets from
all over the world. That was you?” 

“Yes…when you live like you aren’t living,
you have a lot of time on your hands.” 

“The gifts for Jonah and Mike? My mother told
us they were also from Un-“

“Me. I couldn’t leave them out.” He smiled.
“But the point is. I didn’t want this to happen. I wanted you to
live out your life as human. I wanted you to find love. I wanted
you to have mortal children. Grow old. Cherish life. Life here is
so much different. You live you die. It’s simple. You hold things
dear…people dear. Moments mean something. But now. The bond has
been initiated. You won’ get the choice…It’s been made for you.” He
suddenly looked angry. At Andrew? At himself? She wasn’t sure.

“So you could have chosen differently? When
you were eighteen?” 

Pete chuckled. “No for us born in Everland
there is no choice. You either get sworn, or you die. I guess
nature figures you’ll die without a protector anyways. May as well
make it a requirement.”

“But the Manticans, like Andrew, they can
die, right?” 

Pete’s face dropped. “Yah. They age. They’re
internal structures age, but their outer form doesn’t. This has
been theorized for a long time. Popular belief is they maintain
their eighteen-year-old outer form at their physical best to defend
us. Their hearts are usually their cause of death. It gives out
anywhere from two hundred to two fifty, two seventy five maybe.”
Gwen wasn’t sure how to feel about this. 

“I don’t get it. Andrew said we feel what one
another feels. We die if one another dies.” Gwen cocked her thin
eyebrow in confusion. 

“He’s right. Our lives depend on each other.
Unless it’s their time to go. When nature decides to take them, we
are spared and sworn again.” 

“Why are we so important?”

“We keep Everland alive. Our blood is the
fuel source to the mother stone beneath the lagoon. The heart of
Everland. Without our blood, it will die, taking everything and
everyone with it.”

Gwen folded her arms across her chest,
feeling the chill though she didn’t know whether it was from the
elements…or her fate. 

“Want to go in?” Pete asked. 

“Not really. You think Jonah and Mike are
okay alone in there?” Gwen maternally asked. 

She was met with Pete’s smile. “They’re
fine.”

Silence filled the space between them. Gwen
couldn’t imagine what Pete’s life had been like. Living 138 years.
Not to mention Everland. She wondered what her parents would do
when they

didn’t return home. Would her mother be
coherent enough to contact Pete? How much did her father
know? 

“Lost in thought?” Pete half asked. 

“Yah. Sorry.” 

“Stand up.” Pete ordered, rising to his
feet. 

Gwen was hesitant. “Why?” 

With a sigh, Pete looked to the sky and back
to her. “Haven’t you learned to trust me yet?” 

“Alright.” Gwen rose to her feet. They were
standing on the same stone step as Pete inched closer, Gwen’s heart
began to race. He walked around behind her. “What are you
doing?” 

“I want to show you something. Don’t you
think this patio is rather…ugly?” he asked. 

“Well not…ugly,” she stammered, trying not to
be rude. “More…bare I guess. You have a lot of empty flower pots
out here. Might need a gardener.” 

“Do I?” Pete questioned. Gwen began to turn
around and face him when he stopped her. Lightly holding her
shoulders with his large cool hands, he held her in place, back
facing him. He whispered, “Close your eyes.”  As much as Gwen
wanted to object, she did what he asked and closed her eyes. Her
senses were suddenly filled with the sweet aroma of vanilla and
lavender, maybe a hint of honey. It was unfamiliar but the most
wonderful thing she’d ever smelt. “Okay…open.” Pete said in yet
another whisper. 

She first noticed the finest particles of
glitter-like powder she had ever seen falling in front of her eyes.
She looked up and saw Pete toss one last handful of the mist above
her. Then it appeared. Every empty flower pot was suddenly filled
with the most unusual stunning flowers and plants she had ever
seen. They sparkled and swayed as if they were truly alive and
dancing to some unheard tune. Such vibrant colors. Looking up at
Pete, Gwen whispered, “Is this real?” Not waiting for an answer she
walked from plant to plant, bush to bush, tree to tree around the
patio. Tentatively she reached out to touch a pastel blue one
shaped somewhat like a star with six points, and bright translucent
wing like tips. “Can I?” she asked.

“Go ahead, they love to be touched.” Gwen
reached out to touch the flower and just as her fingertips were
about to brush the silky tips, the plant fluttered toward her hand.
She pulled away.

“Really, they’re harmless.” Pete laughed.
Gwen ran her hand along the smooth petals as the plant floated
closer in appreciation. “Body heat. That’s what attracts them.”
Another pink one with what had to be hundreds of stacked shimmering
oval petals caught Gwen’s eye. 

“These are…they’re…I don’t even know!” Gwen
was fascinated with the otherworldly plants. 

“Beautiful, huh?” Pete finished for her.

“Yah, that’s an understatement.” She
breathlessly added. “Are these from Everland?” she asked observing
a sparkling, lime green flowering bush, whose leaves appeared as if
they were made from mermaid tails. 

“Yah. It’s Tina’s hobby. She brought them
with her our last trip back.” 

“Why couldn’t I see them before?” Gwen asked
smiling at an overly zealous orange cotton ball like flower with an
extremely long stem allowing it to flutter over and tickle her
cheek. 

Pete loved to see her smile. “Tina put an
enchantment on them, to keep them hidden from the human eye.
Without this, you wouldn’t have seen them.” He held up a little
brown bag. I thought you could use a pick me up about now.” He
walked across the patio and ran his hand over a shaggy hair like
bright magenta bush. It shook as if it were laughing silently. They
remind me of home.” Pete paused. “Well, what home I have
left.” 

“Is this what all of Everland looks like?
This gorgeous?” Gwen couldn’t believe a land this magnificent could
hold any evil at all. 

“Some places.” He watched Gwen as the breeze
blew her auburn hair in front of her eyes. He awaited her familiar
habit of brushing and tucking, as she did just that. She brushed
the wavy locks from her wide eyes and slid them behind her ear. His
heart still skipped a beat every time she did it. If she only knew
him like he felt he knew her. 

Gwen felt Pete’s eyes on her. She imagined
they were in a dream. A sweet dream in a fantasy garden, not this
diversion from reality. 

Andrew cleared his throat breaking their
trance. They turned to meet him. “Tina got word back already…it
doesn’t sound good Pete.” 

“Worse than we thought?” Pete walked closer
to Andrew. Andrew overshadowed Pete in size. Though Pete was
muscular for anyone of this world, Andrew was much thicker and
about five inches taller.

 “I’m afraid so. The pirates have taken
much of the East. The fairies are in real trouble. They’re being
captured and…their powers are being stripped by the dark fairies.”
Gwen didn’t even have to ask what this meant. Their tones said it
all: the fairies were dying.